The present invention relates to flow control devices and, more particularly, to a foot operated water shutoff device especially useful for use with ordinary garden hoses and sprinklers.
Many times, a hose bib is not conveniently located close to the place where a hose is used. For example, a person may run a hose from a hose bib located at a back side of a home to water a front lawn. If the person wants to move the sprinkler from one location to another, they must go to the back of the house to turn off the water, move the hose, and return to the back of the house to turn the water back on. Other current solutions may involve kinking the hose to obstruct flow. However, this method can still cause water to exit the hose and requires at least one hand of the user to keep the hose kinked while repositioning or adjusting the sprinkler.
In addition, many times it is helpful to adjust the flow of water out of a hose bib so that the sprinkler region is limited to desired areas and water is not wasted by sprinkling a driveway, road, or the like. Adjusting the water flow, however, can be difficult when the hose bib is not within sight of the sprinkler itself. Often times, multiple trips may be needed or another person can be used to make this adjustment.
As can be seen, there is a need for a device that can control the flow of water through a hose that can be easily manipulated and that can be placed at any location along a length of the hose.